The First Look: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Tony Finau let golf fans into his world in the acclaimed Netflix docuseries “Full Swing,” which illuminates his emphasis on being a good husband and father. There were plenty of questions, though, about whether he could properly balance traveling with a young family and elevating his game to become a consistent contender on the PGA TOUR.

He had won the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship to break a five-year winless drought, but for a player of his stature and skill set, why wasn’t he winning more often?

That answer came with a pointed reply last summer, as he won in back-to-back weeks at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic.

“I won the golf tournament last week (at the 3M Open) … for some reason I left, and after bogeying the 18th hole, I had kind of a sour taste in my mouth and I think it just gave me extra motivation to put myself there again this week,” Finau said after winning last year's Rocket Mortgage, “and just prove to myself the kind of champion that I am.”

Finau has two victories already this season – Texas Children’s Houston Open; Mexico Open at Vidanta – and has four TOUR triumphs in just nine months. He’ll head to Detroit looking to successfully defend his title – something he’s not yet done in his TOUR career.

Finau’s ball-striking continues to be amongst the TOUR’s elite – he sits fourth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and fifth in Approach the Green – and if the putter gets hot again (he was 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting in his win a year ago), then watch out.

More than all that, however, Finau’s win last summer at Detroit Golf Club proved that he could block out the noise and win big.

“I’m proud of the way that I fought through adversity through my career and now I’m a back-to-back champion. That’s what happens,” Finau said. “They say a winner is just a loser that just kept on trying, and that’s me to a T. How many times do I lose? But one thing I won’t do is give up, and I’m only here a winner because I chose not to give up and just kept going.”

FIELD NOTES: Tony Finau returns to try to successfully defend a title on the PGA TOUR for the first time. Finau has four top-10 finishes this season including two wins … Two-time major champions Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are set to make their tournament debuts in Detroit. Thomas is looking for his first top-10 finish since March, while Morikawa is looking for his first top-10 since the Masters … Keegan Bradley heads to Detroit after an emotional victory at the Travelers Championship in his native New England. Bradley won by three strokes over Zac Blair and Brian Harman, his sixth TOUR title ... World No. 9 Max Homa will tee it up in Detroit. Homa is one of five TOUR pros with two wins this season … Rickie Fowler is back in action after spirited run at the U.S. Open and Travelers Championship. Fowler, who has seven top-10 finishes this season, finished T5 at Los Angeles Country Club after shooting the lowest round in U.S. Open history, an 8-under 62, in the opening round. He shot a personal-best 60 en route to a T13 finish at last week's Travelers Championship… Ludvig Aberg, who earned a PGA TOUR card by finishing No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking, will tee it up once again. Aberg made his debut as a pro at the RBC Canadian Open, finishing tied for 25th. He also finished top-25 at last week’s Travelers Championship … Four spots have been decided via Monday's open qualifier.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Sam Bennett, who turned pro in May after finishing as low amateur at the Masters (T16) and completing a standout career at Texas A&M, will compete at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. This will be his sixth TOUR event this season and fifth as a pro … Gordon Sargent, the world’s top-ranked amateur, will tee it up at a non-major PGA TOUR event for the first time. Sargent played in the Masters (MC) and the U.S. Open, where he finished as low amateur after a tie for 39th. Sargent continues to inch closer to earning PGA TOUR membership via the newly established PGA TOUR University Accelerated. So far, the rising Vanderbilt junior has accrued 16 of the necessary 20 points to earn TOUR membership next May … European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will be in the field in Detroit … Ryan Gerard, who earned Special Temporary Membership on TOUR earlier this year, is back in action. Gerard has made his last two cuts on TOUR including a tie for 56th at the U.S. Open … South African Aldrich Potgieter, 18, will tee it up for the fourth time on TOUR this season. Potgieter became the second-youngest winner in the 127-year history of The Amateur Championship when he captured the title with a 3-and-2 victory in 2022 … Ross Steelman, who finished No. 4 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, will make his PGA TOUR debut. Steelman’s Georgia Tech squad finished runner up at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship earlier this year, but his effort in the finale helped him jump from No. 6 to No. 4 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking ... Chase Johnson was awarded a sponsor exemption as winner of The John Shippen National Invitational at Detroit Golf Club on Sunday, continuing a tournament tradition. The Kent State alum has spent time on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a runner-up to Will Zalatoris at The Ascendant presented by Blue in 2020.

STORYLINES:

1) Rickie’s rocking and rolling

After playing in the final group Sunday at the U.S. Open, Rickie Fowler notched his seventh top-10 finish on TOUR this season – the most he’s had on TOUR in one season since 2016-17. Fowler seems to be doing everything right this season (he sits 10th in Strokes Gained: Total) and is trending toward breaking his four-year winless drought.

2) First-timer, or proven winner?

This marks the fifth edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Two of the winners notched their maiden TOUR titles, while the other two – including last year’s winner Tony Finau – had found the TOUR’s winner’s circle multiple times. Detroit Golf Club features vintage, vexing Donald Ross putting surfaces, which could be the key differentiator this week. Interestingly enough, outside of Cam Davis’ playoff win in 2021, the Rocket Mortgage Classic winning total has been by six, three, and five shots – when someone wins this event, they really win it.

3) Summertime stretch

A year ago, the Rocket Mortgage Classic was the penultimate event on the FedExCup Regular Season schedule, and it was a key time for earning FedExCup points. This year, there are six events left in the Regular Season, including this week in Detroit, as we sprint to the FedExCup Playoffs. S.H. Kim currently sits 70th on the FedExCup standings, the cut-off number for the Playoffs, and will be in action at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

COURSE: Detroit Golf Club, par 72, 7,370 yards (yardage subject to change). The club opened in 1899, with Donald Ross designing two 18-hole courses in 1913. The Rocket Mortgage Classic utilizes 17 holes from the North Course and one hole from the South Course.

Vandals significantly damaged the greens on Nos. 11 and 12 in April, but the PGA TOUR’s agronomy department along with the storied Oakmont Country Club stepped in to help. Some sod was brought in from Oakmont to help with the repairs.

72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Tony Finau (2022)

18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Nate Lashley (2019, first round), J.T. Poston (2019, second round), Davis Thompson (2021, first round), Cameron Young (2022, second round), Tom Kim (2022, fourth round)

LAST TIME: Tony Finau captured the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic by five shots and in the process became the first TOUR player to win consecutive Regular Season events in three years. Finau, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round, finished with a tournament-record 26-under 262. Finau won the 3M Open the week prior after rallying from five shots back to win by three, but there was no such drama at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The win marked Finau’s first successful conversion of a 54-hole lead after five prior attempts. Cameron Young – who would go on to win the TOUR’s Rookie of the Year honor – finished tied for second, alongside Patrick Cantlay and 54-hole co-leader Taylor Pendrith.

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